Unpicking Legacy Public Sector Networks – It’s time to explore Network-as-a-Service (NaaS)

Across the public sector, digital transformation continues to accelerate. At the same time, many government departments are working with legacy networks that were never designed to handle this level of scale, complexity, or flexibility. Maintaining these systems consumes time, budget, and talent that could otherwise be used to drive innovation.

As we look ahead, one model in particular is gaining attention as a potential enabler of change: Network-as-a-Service (NaaS). While still an emerging approach, NaaS presents an opportunity to rethink how the public sector designs, delivers and consumes connectivity.

Why Legacy Networks Are Becoming a Bottleneck

Government IT leaders are well aware of the challenges posed by legacy infrastructure. According to the National Audit Office, nearly half of central government IT spend goes towards maintaining ageing systems, many of which underpin critical public services.

These systems were often built for a centralised model, using traditional MPLS networks and supported by the Public Services Network (PSN). But the market is shifting. Cloud-first services, secure remote access, and inter-agency collaboration requires a new level of flexibility, resilience and user-centricity that traditional models struggle to provide.

Introducing Network-as-a-Service (NaaS)

Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) is an emerging model that allows organisations to consume networking capabilities, such as connectivity, security, and traffic management - as a managed, subscription-based service.

As Gartner notes, the NaaS market is evolving rapidly, with more providers introducing enterprise-grade services that could suit public sector needs.

Why Now Is the Right Time to Explore

Planned retirement of the PSN has rumbled on for years, and whilst the Future Networks for Government (FN4G) program has now ended, with much success, legacy infrastructure still remains. It is crucial that the public sector maintains momentum around cloud adoption.

This creates a natural opportunity to explore NaaS - not as a silver bullet, but as part of a broader strategy to modernise networks in line with digital service delivery goals.

Importantly, NaaS isn’t an all-or-nothing switch. It can start small, such as supporting a specific department, use case, or pilot project, before scaling more widely.

These scenarios offer practical starting points to test the value of NaaS without wholesale disruption.

Aligning with Strategy and Standards

By piloting NaaS in the right context, organisations can move in step with these strategic directions while building confidence internally.

Considerations for Getting Started

For public sector leaders and digital teams beginning to explore NaaS, here are a few things to keep in mind:

Opening the Conversation

NaaS won’t be right for every use case, or every organisation - just yet. But it’s a concept worth understanding, especially as public service delivery becomes more digital, distributed and data-driven.

By opening up the conversation now, the public sector can better prepare for a future where connectivity is not just a technical enabler, but a strategic asset.

Central Government Programme activities

The techUK Central Government Programme provides a forum for government to engage with tech suppliers. We advocate for the govtech sector, evangelise tech as a solution to public sector challenges, facilitate market engagement, and help make the public sector an easier market to operate in. Visit the programme page here.